I think this question will be on the minds of prospective parents who are of a Singaporean father/Thai mother pair. And I’m pretty sure the husband will want the child to be born here and the wife in her home country.
I would like to offer my thoughts and share my experiences.
1) Standard of care
In this area, I would say that both countries have a high level of health care. The facilities and equipment, at least for childbirth, are adequate, whether you are looking for a public or private hospital.
2) Cost
In terms of cost, I’d say Thailand would definitely be a lot cheaper. My wife gave birth in a Government Hospital and the delivery bill was about 12,000 baht (if I remember correctly) by caesarean section. And since my wife had a Bat Tong (a subsidized Thai medical card), the cost of delivery is free and I only had to pay for room and board (because I upgraded to a 1-bedroom) and some medicine and the bill. for a 3 day stay it came to about 5,000 baht.
In Singapore, I’m not sure about the cost, but I checked and it will cost at least $1,000 or more for a normal delivery.
3) Language
Unless your wife has a strong background in English and can speak the language well, it is most likely a conversational situation between her and the doctor or nurses. I feel that since we are not the ones giving birth, it is important for her to be able to communicate with the doctors and nurses during labor in case she needs to express any difficulties but the doctors do not understand.
4) Citizenship
This is the part I like the most. I choose to let my 2 children be born in Thailand and have dual citizenship until the age of 21. They have 2 passports and have no problem staying in either country for as long as they want.
They also enjoy the benefits of being Thai (they also got a Bat Tong each, as their mother had 1) and Singaporean (I’m entitled to all Baby Bonus Program payments).
It’s quite easy to apply for Singapore citizenship for them, but that’s something I’ll share in another post.
conclusion
In general, if a Singaporean father/Thai mother couple asked me where they should give birth to their child, I would advise them to do so in Thailand. Even if we don’t need to consider the cost, I think there are other advantages to giving birth to the child in Thailand.
And Thais have very different views/practices on postpartum care (they can’t and can’t stand not washing their hair for 1 month). They would prefer to be served Thai style and this is something that only their parents can offer.